Pontarlier

Pontarlier is a town with 17,998 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2011 ) in the French Jura near the Swiss border. It belongs to the Doubs in the Franche -Comté and is the seat of a sub-prefecture. The city is the seat member and the Association of Municipalities Communauté de communes du Larmont. Residents of the city are known in French as pontissaliens.

Geography

Pontarlier is located about 20 km from the border with Switzerland on a plateau in the upper reaches of the River Doubs and is equipped with an altitude of 837 m, the second highest town in France to Briancon. Besancon, seat of the prefecture, is located about 60 km north- west of the city.

History

Thanks to its geographical position, the city played an important role early on for trade between northern and southern Europe in the 12th century it became a center of trade.

The city suffered throughout history among many due to their marginal position invasions. In addition, she experienced severe fires, which were attributable to the necessary heating in the harsh winter months.

Pontarlier was in the 19th century capital of absinthe production, was opened in 1805 by Henri -Louis Pernod, the first absinthe distillery. Through the absinthe ban in 1914 this industry did not matter until you return to the distillery Pernod Fils began production in 2001.

Attractions

• The Porte Saint- Pierre was built on the site of the former Porte du Boulevard in 1772. The Porte du Boulevard was the most important of the five city gates of Pontarlier.
• The church of Saint - Bénigne from the 17th century.
• Chapelle des Annonciades (18th century)
• Chapelle de l' Espérance (1861 )
• The barracks Marguet (1748-1764)
• City Museum of Pontarlier at Place d' Arçon
• Museum of Franco Sbarro Espera ( automotive design )
• The Château de Joux ( built in the 10th century, in the 18th century in its present form ) a few miles south of Pontarlier. From the 18th century it served as a prison and housed under different Mirabeau, Toussaint Louverture and Kleist. The fort can be seen today in every half hour held tours and houses a small museum with military paraphernalia of the French army in the 18th century.

Church of Saint- Bénigne

Chapelle de l' Espérance

Château de Joux

Tourism

Pontarlier is winter sports, especially cross-country skiing is operated there. Due to the proximity of the river Doubs and the Lac de Saint-Point ( the third largest natural lake in France ) and Lac de Remoray there are also a wide range of water sports.

Sports

1997 Pontarlier was honored among cities with fewer than 30,000 inhabitants as the sportiest city in France. Here are quite a lot of famous winter athletes born ( see below). The city was repeatedly stage of the Tour de France (2001, 1985, 1972, 1960, 1928, 1927).

Traffic

Pontarlier Train Station is served by the TGV train pair the Franco- Swiss railway company Lyria that the route Paris - Bern is traveling. In regional transport include compounds of the regional transport company SNCF TER Franche-Comté Dole and Dijon.

In the city, public transport is guaranteed by the Omnibus network society Pontabus.

The airfield Pontarlier ( ICAO code: LFSP ) is located about two kilometers west of the city. Its native Aéroclub Pontarlier was founded in 1930.

Absinthe

The importance of absinthe production is shown in a set up by the distillery Pierre Guy private museum, where you can also taste absinthe. The distillery has contributed in a curious way to solve a geological facts: 1901 a fire destroyed the factory. It flowed over 1 million liters of absinthe in the nearby river Doubs. Amazingly, took the water at the source of the Loue, which is about 15 km away, smell and color of diluted absinthe. Since one knows about the underground connection of the two bodies of water. Like it has one also found in Germany in the Swabian Alb ( Donauversinkung ), but using the fluorescent dyes fluorescein and eosin.

Twinning

Pontarlier is connected by twinning with

• Villingen- Schwenningen, Germany, since 1964
• Zarautz, Spain, since 1994
• Yverdon- les- Bains, since 2003

Sons and daughters of the town

• Florence Baverel -Robert ( born 1974 ), former French biathlete
• Pierre Bichet, painter, still living in Pontarlier
• Francois Braud, Nordic combined
• Vincent DeFrasne ( b. 1977 ), French biathlete
• Philippe Grenier (1865-1944), physician and deputy
• Fabrice Guy ( born 1968 ), former French Nordic combined
• Arnaud Langel ( born 1985 ), French biathlete
• Gilles Marguet (born 1967 ), former biathlete
• Marmier Xavier (1808-1892), writer, born in 1808
• Jean Claude Eléonore Le Michaud d' Arçon (1733-1800), French general and engineering
• Sébastien Rasles (1657-1724), Jesuit missionary and lexicographer
• Alexandre Rousselet ( b. 1977 ), a French cross country skier